Anne Neville

Princess + Earl

Female

BornJun 11, 1456

HometownWarwickshire

DiedMar 16, 1485

Death PlaceWestminster

Lady Anne Neville was Princess of Wales as the wife of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as the consort of King Richard III. She held the latter title for less than two years, from 26 June 1483 until her death in March 1485. She had just one son, Edward, whom she outlived. Anne was a member of the powerful northern English Neville family, being the younger daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, called in history, "The Kingmaker".… Read More

children

News + Updates

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Timeline

Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Anne Neville.

CHILDHOOD

1456Birth
Born on June 11, 1456.

TEENAGE

147014 Years Old
As part of the formal agreement, Anne was formally betrothed to Queen Margaret's son, Edward of Westminster at the Château d'Amboise in France, and married in Angers Cathedral probably on 13 December 1470.
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The Earl of Warwick, who had been dispatched by Margaret to England to restore King Henry to the throne, succeeded in this task but was defeated and killed in battle (battle of Barnet, April 1471) a few months later. Anne arrived back in England with her new husband and mother-in-law to find herself fatherless. Read Less

147115 Years Old
With the death of Prince Edward at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471, she was taken prisoner along with Queen Margaret.
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She was taken first to Coventry and then to the Duke of Clarence's house in London, where she became the subject of some dispute between Clarence and Richard. Since she and her sister Isabel were heiresses to their father's Neville estates, her sister and Clarence were not keen to see her married and strengthen her position to claim them. The king refused her safe conduct to plead her case and she wrote to Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth of York and several others to no avail.<br /><br /> There are various accounts of what happened subsequently, including the story that she escaped from Clarence's custody and sought refuge in a London cookshop disguised as a servant.<br /><br /> Clarence, married to Anne's sister and anxious to secure the whole Neville inheritance, treated her as his ward. His brother, Richard (later Richard III of England) is said to have tracked her down and escorted her to sanctuary at the Church of St Martin le Grand. They were married early the following year and left for Middleham Castle. Read Less

147216 Years Old
The wedding of Anne Neville and Richard, Duke of Gloucester (subsequently Richard III of England) took place on 12 July 1472, at Westminster Abbey, and they made their marital home in the familiar surroundings of Middleham Castle, Richard having been appointed Governor of the North on the king's behalf.
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Upon her marriage, she was styled Duchess of Gloucester. They had only one child, Edward, born at Middleham in around 1473.<br /><br /> On 9 April 1483, Edward IV died. Richard was named Lord Protector for his 12-year-old nephew Edward V. Read Less

TWENTIES

However, on 25 June 1483, Edward and his siblings were declared illegitimate, and Richard ascended the throne as King Richard III.

Anne was crowned on 6 July 1483 by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, and her son was created Prince of Wales.
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She was accompanied by less than half the knights that her predecessor had, which might have reflected the reluctance of many to embrace the new regime.<br /><br /> She was on good terms with her mother-in-law, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, with whom she discussed religious works, such as the one written by Mechtilde of Hackeborn. By her father, the Duchess of York was Anne's great-aunt.<br /><br /> Edward of Middleham died suddenly on 9 April 1484, at Sheriff Hutton, while his parents were absent. He was then 10 years old.<br /><br /> After the death of his son and heir, rumours arose that Richard planned to divorce Anne and marry his niece, Elizabeth of York. There is little evidence for this, however, and none at all for the later rumour that he had poisoned Anne.<br /><br /> After the death of her son, Anne effectively adopted Richard's & her nephew, Edward, Earl of Warwick, the nine-year-old son of George of Clarence (who was also the son of her own sister Isabel). Richard made the boy his heir presumptive, probably in deference to Anne's wishes. Edward of Warwick was described as "simple-minded", and after Anne died, Richard promptly named another nephew - John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln - as his heir presumptive. Read Less

Anne is also the main character in Philippa Gregory's latest novel "The Kingmaker's Daughter". The book begins when Anne is eight years old at the coronation of Elizabeth Woodville and follows her life until her death in 1485.
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The novel tells of the events of the Cousin's War from Anne's point of view and puts her as a major player in various historical moments. Read Less

Anne died on 16 March 1485, probably of tuberculosis, at Westminster.
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The day she died, there was an eclipse, which some took to be an omen of Richard's fall from heavenly grace. She was buried in Westminster Abbey, in an unmarked grave to the right of the High Altar, next to the door to the Confessor's Chapel. Richard is said to have wept at her funeral. Neverthless, rumours circulated that Richard had poisoned her in order to marry his niece Elizabeth of York.<br /><br /> There was no memorial to her until the late 20th century, when a bronze tablet was erected on a wall near her grave by the Richard III Society in 1960.<br /><br /> Anne appears in three scenes in William Shakespeare's Richard III, in the early scenes when Richard persuades her to marry him, in one brief scene just before Richard's coronation, and towards the end of the play as a ghost. She is portrayed by Claire Bloom in Laurence Olivier's 1955 film adaptation of the play, Kristin Scott Thomas in Ian McKellen's 1995 adaptation of the play and by Winona Ryder in the 1996 movie Looking for Richard. In the play, Richard woos her as she stands mourning over the coffin of her father-in-law King Henry VI, whom Richard killed. After Richard becomes King, he arranges for Anne to be poisoned so that he can marry his niece Elizabeth. Read Less